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Local leaders push state to expand scope of Mohegan-Pequot Bridge project Local legislators and town leaders will launch a lobbying campaign in the coming months to push the state to scrap a current renovation plan for the Mohegan-Pequot Bridge in favor of a larger, wider bridge to meet the region’s developing needs. The local leaders argue that it makes no sense to spend $32 million to renovate the bridge with no widening, leaving it as a narrow two-lane span across the Thames River with no sidewalks or bike lanes. The DOT’s “undersized” plan comes as Electric Boat in Groton is hiring thousands of workers; the Great Wolf giant waterpark resort is opening in May at Foxwoods Resort Casino, major new housing projects have been approved on Route 32 in Montville and future development plans by Mohegan will be proposed at the former Norwich Hospital in Preston, just north of the bridge. The owner of the Preston trash-to-energy incinerator just south of the bridge is also looking to construct a new plant there, doubling the waste processing capacity. And yet state Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, whose district includes Montville, Ledyard and Norwich, said when she met with DOT officials about the bridge, they told her “they didn’t know anything about any developments happening in eastern Connecticut that would impact traffic.” The $300 million Great Wolf project has been described as the largest construction project in the state and is slated to open Memorial Day weekend. Osten said Friday she plans to introduce a bill in the upcoming legislative session seeking to bar the DOT from doing any repairs to the bridge without conducting a study of “all of the economic developments that will be happening in eastern Connecticut directly reflective of the bridge itself.” She also said she urged DOT officials to meet with Mohegan and Mashantucket tribal leaders and to consider the tribal nations as partners in development for the region. She said the tribal nations have access to special sources of federal funding. Montville Mayor Leonard Bunnell said he plans to speak to legislators in the upcoming General Assembly session to stress the importance of the bridge for southeastern Connecticut development. Osten said it also makes no sense that the bridge still would not be wide enough for pedestrian or bicycle access. "It should be a multi-modal bridge," Osten said. "We can walk across the Gold Star (bridge). We can't walk across the Mohegan-Pequot Bridge. We can't bike across the Mohegan-Pequot Bridge, and we should be able to." “It’s long overdue, and it’s not being given enough consideration by the state,” Bunnell added. “There’s too many projects cropping up on this side of the Connecticut River. It’s here and it’s coming, and that bridge is a clear link to the successful development of eastern Connecticut.” Bunnell called the current DOT plan to repair the bridge “a waste of money.” In November, project engineers held a public forum to discuss the plans with residents and leaders. The project calls for a $32.8 million rehabilitation to repair and replace components in poor condition and extend the bridge’s lifespan by 20 years. Some of the work involves repairing the steel structure, replacing the road and a deteriorated fender system that protects the span from a boat collision, DOT officials said at the meeting. The bridge would also be cleaned, painted and sealed, and the concrete substructure and fencing would be repaired. James Barrows, the DOT’s supervising engineer for the project, said the DOT did look at other options, but the current proposal is the cheapest. A bigger project to widen the bridge would increase the cost to about $206 million, and replacing the bridge would cost about $227 million. “We’re currently reviewing comments made at the meeting and submitted to the project team during the two-week public comment period,” Josh Morgan, spokesman for DOT, said in an email Friday. “Those comments help inform the future project.” Local leaders criticized the current plans at the meeting as inadequate, and they now say they will press that argument further. “I think for the investment that they’re willing to place, the outcome is insufficient,” Norwich Mayor Peter Nystrom said of the current plan. “It’s kind of half-ass. I thought bridge restoration and renovations are based on traffic counts. We’re still looking for growth in the region. Why would you undersize that bridge?” Preston First Selectwoman Sandra Allyn-Gauthier said her town also wants the state to consider the broader picture when addressing the aging, narrow bridge. it recommended the state consider widening the bridge in its recently approved Plan of Conservation and Development and has also asked the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments to make the Mohegan-Pequot Bridge improvements effort a top priority for the region. c.bessette@theday.com